1. I have used the Lumiere range for painting jeans- they set a bit hard but its ok . I think these are the best to use on jeans... Im covering the entire service with metallic colors- if you think that this is not sensible for do for some reason, please tell me.

2. The Neopaque colors did not work well on black tshirts- Unless is splatter paint on tshirts (think abstract art) i cant use many colors on black tshirts unless i do many coats and that makes the fabric totally stiff- so i have given up using paints for tshirts- im just going to do discharge printing. Just giving some feedback, maybe youve heard this before-

3. On Converse shoes - the canvas ones- im thinking of using Lumiere on the canvas part and Pinata on the rubber/plastic part because Lumiere does not stay well long term on rubber/plastic in my experience. What is your experience?

4. On Converse leather shoes-should i go with Pinata or Lumiere colors? Im a bit confused as to when i should chose Pinata vs Lumiere. Can you pls tell me more. Iv read your site already so pls dont send me a link to those pages -

Iv ordered a bunch of Jacquard colors and im not in the US and getting stuff from the US is a hassle so im trying to save some blunders from happening, which is why so many questions- else i have to wait weeks for my new supply of paints-

I'll address your concerns as best I can.1. In as much as you are covering I would expect the hand of the fabric to become somewhat stiff. One thing you might want to consider is using AirFix with the paints this will reduce/remove the need for heat setting with an iron which could be time consuming at the least.2. I don't have personal experience using the Neopaque on very dark/black jersey and haven't heard of the problem you are having, but do know that when painting with the paints on fabric one does get different degrees of coverage. An option for using discharge would be to use our Screen Ink Discharge Medium mixed with paints. After they have just dried steaming them with a steam iron discharges the dye in the fabric while setting the paint at the same time. I've had great results with the Screen Inks and though haven't tried it with any of our other paints I suspect you'd have good results.3. On canvas shoes Lumiere is perfect for the canvas - and (again) while I've not used Pinata on rubber soles I'd have concerns about it scratching off during wear. Have you tried using our TeeJuice Pens on the soles? They work great for canvas as well, so long as the shoes are not a dark color - the pens are heavily pigmented, but transparent so any color under them will affect the finished color.4. On leather shoes - go with the Lumiere. I've had great luck with Lumiere on different leather shoes. 4a. Comparing Lumiere to Pinata, specific to painting shoes - I'd always go with the Lumiere. You'll get better coverage and the Lumiere will hold up better to normal wear and tear. Pinata is good for surfaces that won't be subjected to scuffing/scratching/abrading. I like it best for metal and glass.

I hope this helps and if I missed something or have spurred any further questions please let me know!

1. I thought of Airfix for jeans after i wrote my post and am glad you mention that. Would ironing on top of the airfix matter at all ? I ask because at some times, i might use other manufacturers fabric colors along with Lumiere so not sure whether Airfix will work on those other brands- In other words, can i iron just as a safety precaution after using airfix? And how much of Airfix does one need to use - would i use this after the jeans have been painted & dried?

2. On second thoughts, would airbrushing an entire service of denim jeans work better than painting with a brush- or no difference?

3. Also will try the Screen Ink discharge medium and see how that works on the tshirts.

4. Good to know the differences between Pinata & Lumiere regarding painting leather shoes. I will stick with Lumiere in that case. I hope you dont mind me asking this (considering its a JACQUARD forum): What about Angelus' Ink dye for the rubber parts of the shoe? A lot of DIYers have used that - does that compare to the Pinata in terms of its content?

5. The problem with Teejuice is that if the rubber sides and soles of the shoe are black, it wont work. And many DIYers have had trouble with the lumiere adhering the rubber/plastic unfortunately.

About your additional questions:1. The AirFix is added to the paint just prior to painting. Mix up just what you are going to use as you'd just have to add more for the next go 'round. The instructions call for 1 teaspoon per quart of paint so I use just a smidgen in an ounce of paint, which is almost always plenty for any paint job I'm doing. Ironing the AirFix/Lumiere mix is no problem. As for using the AirFix with other manufacturer's paints I'd have to advise testing. It would be something I'd try - so long as the paint was a waterbased acrylic, expecting to have good results.2. As for airbrushing - it could certainly make the job easier and would allow for an even coating of paint over the surface of the jeans. You would probably have to thin the paint, and that is safe up to about 1(water) to 4 (paint) ratio - especially if you add the AirFix. The thinning will affect the opacity of the paint so it would take a bit more paint, but I think you'd still be ahead of the game in terms of the final softness.3. I think you'll love the results with the Discharge Medium.4. Because I wasn't familiar with Angelus' Ink dye I did a little research. It appears as if the Angelus' dyes are specific to leather and suede so I suspect there are no binders in them (which is what allows the Pinata dyes to 'stick') and would imagine that while it might stain you'd not get really strong coverage...all that being a (somewhat) educated guess.5. Yes indeed, you are correct in your statement that the TeeJuice is not suitable for covering black. To cover black edges you are pretty much stuck with an opaque pigment. You might want to consider an oil based paint...just a thought.

My favorite renewed shoe artists are Margot Silk Forrest & Destiny Carter. I went to their site, sassyfeet.com to see if I could tell what they might be using on sole edges. Looks like they mostly leave them alone though in a few cases on dressy shoes they did take the Lumiere on to the heels.

Margot uses StazOn for most of the rubber sides ; another sneaker DIYer on Youtube uses an Angelus Ink Dye for the rubber and then goes over those parts with the Angelus leather paint. Angelus is good too but they dont make metallic colors as Jacquard does :)

Lets see what happens- i will update with results !! Youre doing a great job with these forums!!

Ha - I didn't catch that Margo uses StazOn - she's kind of a 'master'. I'm going to have to do a little testing for myself. I don't paint the edges on my shoes (all I do are my old Keens and Danskos) usually just give them a good wash, but doing the edges would really bring them back.

So after this huge thread of advice, iv finally gotten used to using Lumiere on denim (i use the paint on jeans) and it works great so far - iv done away with thinking about even coverage and just tried random sponge strokes to highlight/shade areas - the contrasts of colors and roughness of sponge strokes add character to the jeans that shiny laminated fabric could not do- and i guess if one wants extreme metallic looks then paint is perhaps not the way to go- maybe one should just use laminated fabrics for those purposes-

Anyway- im just wondering what the longevity of the paint on these jeans would be? Do you have any experience with using Lumiere on jeans?

I also wanted to let you know my experience with Lumiere/Neopaque on knitted tshirts- Lumiere adds way too much weight and just ruins the hand of the knitted fabric and certain colors of Neopaque paints on black tshirts just dont work ( red paint on black tee wold require a couple coats thus adding weight)- In any case, im loving the effect on jeans- its really nice! I think traditional discharge screen printing is the way to go on black tshirts-

Just had another question for you:

Would Dyne-na-flow colors work on white tshirts to give a tie dye effect? So instead of tie dyeing with dye, id just use the Dye na flow paint .... First id tie up the tshirt and just lift the tied up tshirt and dab it on the paint lying in a small container or maybe put the tied up tee in a small poly bag and throw in some dye na flow? Im curious to know how this would change the handle of the knitted tshirt? If you have experience, id love to hear it !

Nice to hear from you!The Lumiere on jeans works very well. You will want to heat set them with an iron for washability or use AirFix (http://www.jacquardproducts.com/airfix.html) with the paints, but if the paint is fixed well it holds up like a champ.And yes, your experience with the Lumiere/Neopaque on cotton knit t-shirts is what I would expect, particularly if you are using it as the main body of the art work. You might want to check out Diane Ericson, she's an artist that uses Lumiere a lot - on all sorts of fabrics - but the way that she applies it really reduces the hand and creates some stunning art work. A cruise through her blog site is a fun way to get inspired. http://www.dianeericson.com/To your question about Dye-na-Flow as a tie dye medium - you could indeed use it in the manner you suggested. There will be a bit of a hand, depending on just how much paint is absorbed, but once heat set and washed it will be minimal. I know of several artists that use Dye-Na-Flow as a silk paint with no complaints about resulting heavy handedness. You could control the application of the colors by using a sponge brush dipped into the paint. You could then apply it exactly where you want it on your design. I'd also recommend untying the piece before it drys completely - if the paints drys against itself you might get some creases that would be difficult to remove.

Thanks a lot, Annette! I ordered Airfix online from Dharmatrading along with the other paints and they were out of stock about 6 weeks ago- its a hassle constantly having to get stuff across the globe LOL- anyway, im using the paints on new jeans only after the jeans have gone through a washer and then a dryer for an hour. After painting, i let the jeans rest for 12-24 hours before putting them in a dryer for 1 hour. And then i dont wear them or wash them for 1 month. Would this suffice?

Hi Annette, Just wanted to show you the pics finally- i was curious how one could post images and had to do a google search to see how one could post pics on forums without the forum showing options for attachments- do let me know whether this works-

The pics look washed out but these jeans look 10 times better in person- im 6ft2 male thats why these jeans look long ;)

I actually love the way that the hand of the fabric changes after paint- the textile feels much nicer (after lumiere/neopaque) instantly even while wearing... i may not like the feel of dye na flow but perhaps use it in a different way- will have to experiment and think about it-